Starbucks sees China as key to its international growth

By CRAIG HARRIS
P-I REPORTER (Seattle)

A day after Starbucks announced that it would introduce its gourmet coffee in four more countries, a top executive said Friday that the international chain could be in 14 more countries within five years.

Martin Coles, president of Starbucks Coffee International, said the Seattle-based chain could be in 54 countries by 2011, but he also said the company would expand judiciously.

"We don't want to show up and get the door open just to be present in a country," Coles said.

Starbucks has 3,604 stores in 36 countries outside the U.S., and it will open in Brazil, Egypt, Russia and India in the next year. The company on Thursday set a long-term goal with no timeline to have 20,000 international stores, and it believes its biggest growth will come in China.


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